Greensboro, NC -- After receiving suggestions from the community, the Guilford County Board of Education elected the name for the new northern-area elementary school.
The board said the new school will be called Ronald McNair Elementary School. The name was first nominated by Joe Stafford, a citizen of Guilford County.
McNair grew up in South Carolina but received a bachelor of science degree from NC A&T State University in 1971. He went on to earn his doctor of philosophy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology before getting a honorary doctorate of Laws from NC A&T.
He was one of seven astronauts killed on January 28, 1986 when the Challenger exploded after taking off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
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The Media Center inside the school will be named after Dr. Julius A. Fulmore. Fulmore was also nominated as a name for the school.
The school project is expected to be completed by August 2012.
WFMY News 2